HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — A Houston man who tried to claim self-defense after shooting his wife multiple times in 2021 is going to prison.
Dakari Lenear pleaded guilty to murder at the last minute earlier this month after a jury was sworn in for his trial. This week, the judge heard two days of testimony before sentencing Lenear to 65 years in prison, the Harris County District Attorney's Office said.
Lenear, 48, shot and killed 45-year-old Rhonda Lenear at their home on Walnut Glen Drive north of Jersey Village in May 2021.
Prosecutors said he told their two teen children to go wait in the truck and turn the music up loud. One of them saw their father with his assault rifle Friday through a window and quickly alerted their mother. The victim was recording on her phone when her husband told her she should start praying because she would be dead by the end of the day.
“As the recording caught the last moments of her life, she tried to de-escalate the situation. Rhonda’s last words were the names of her children as Lenear murdered her," Assistant District Attorney Kelly Marshall said.
She was shot multiple times and died at the scene.
Lenear told deputies his wife was coming at him with a knife and he shot her in self-defense. Rhonda Lenear's recording was used as evidence to prove he was lying.
Marshall said Lenear terrorized his wife for years before killing her. She described the victim as a great mother who had a successful career as an engineer and was a loving, bright, vibrant person who had worked for years to keep her family together. Her husband reportedly didn't have a stable job.
“Domestic violence, like in this case, can go on for years with abuse and threats of violence,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said. “It is important that we have a Domestic Violence Division that specializes in prosecuting horribly sad cases like this and was able to get justice for
Lenear must serve at least 30 years in prison before he will be eligible for parole.
